Joe Epstein/The Star-LedgerFile photo of the Goethals Bridge in Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH — What started with Millburn police following a suspected shoplifter from the Mall at Short Hills today ended with the man leaping off the Goethals Bridge following a fiery crash.

Details were murky about 8 p.m., but authorities said Millburn police began following a man’s car from the Mall at Short Hills shortly after 6:30 p.m. after he was suspected of shoplifting.

Though New Jersey State Police spokesman Sgt. Stephen Jones said it didn’t appear as though the pursuit ever evolved into a high-speed chase, police followed him onto the Goethals Bridge, where a collision occurred.

Jones said the man’s car was engulfed in flames. Before police could apprehend him, the man got out of the car and leaped over the edge of the Goethals Bridge.

It’s unclear how high the bridge span is where the man leaped off of it, and while his condition is not known, Jones said he was alive when police found him.

The Goethals Bridge was closed briefly but has since been reopened, according to Port Authority.